I See You

I see you…. Because I meditate and practice neigong, I see you, I see the savage beast when the mask slips, Maybe only for a second, But I see you. I also see the angel, When you have pure altruistic compassion, When you really care; When your caring is free from fear or pity, When there is no desire for an end result, That’s when your angel is looking through your eyes. My unfettered mind see’s how you wear your body; The tension borne from fear, The bowed head, the lazy slouch, The jutting chin and darting eyes; The deepest … Continue reading I See You

Compassion And The Martial Arts

In my youth I was arrogant and violent before I discovered the Martial Arts – and as a result of that discovery I also went on to study Buddhism, Zen and Taoism.  It was through these studies that I found compassion.  In hindsight I think that my excitability, arrogance and violence was a result of being ’empathic’ and not knowing how to deal with it.  As an empathic child in a non empathic family and culture where ‘give him a slap’ was the answer to everything in a relationship and as I attended the roughest school in South London where … Continue reading Compassion And The Martial Arts

Hand Healing In The Martial Arts

Hand Healing In The Martial Arts The kwoon was unusually quiet.  When I entered Sifu was standing with his hands on Jane’s head, she was seated with her eyes closed.  Everyone else was getting on with the business of training, warming up or in a conversation of hushed whispers.  The aura of the healing that was taking place gave the usually lively character of the room the feeling of a church. Its strange how Sifu was just standing and Jane sitting, to a casual observer nothing was happening and yet the energy transfer that was taking place was obvious enough … Continue reading Hand Healing In The Martial Arts

Healing In The Martial Arts

If you study Martial Arts for Self Defence…..  What is most likely to kill you?  The answer is of course, bad health – and therefore that should be your first line of defence!  You have to care for your physical, mental and emotional health to be able to deal with any external threat effectively An important day in your life as a Martial Artist is the day you take responsibility for your own well being and training regime. The art of healing is an essential part of your Martial Arts training.  The Japanese say satsu/katsu that it is essentially that … Continue reading Healing In The Martial Arts

Internal Or External?

Internal and external has many translations in the Martial Arts, You cannot be one or the other, Because we all have an inside and an outside, If you are more one than the other, you are unbalanced. If you’re taught externally, Your instructor will correct you by how you look on the outside: If you’re taught internally, Your instructor will correct you by how you feel inside. Ideally, you need both. If you train externally, You will utilise the power of emotion, If you train internally, Your mind will be calm and focused. If you train externally, You will use … Continue reading Internal Or External?

Simple Neigong – Insomnia Buster!

In our seated Tai Chi programme we teach a lovely seated Nei Gong exercise.  It is an exercise that reinforces correct posture and breathing and also serves a method for calming the body and mind.  It can also be incorporated into a pre-sleep ritual for those who suffer from insomnia – it help’s prepare the body for a peaceful night’s sleep.  It can also be used at your desk and in your car. Simple Seated Nei Gong 1 – Firstly you will need to be seated – either sitting on a chair or on the edge of the bed.  Ideally … Continue reading Simple Neigong – Insomnia Buster!

Continuous Neigong…

Neigong cannot just be trained for an hour a day, because for the other 23 hours you could be doing ‘anti neigong’ – and which would prevail? As you learn the skills, you need to practice ALL the time.  You are always doing posture and breathing and your life can only be enhanced by more mental awareness, concentration and sensitivity.  This is then an excellent exercise in ‘mindfulness’ to constantly and dispassionately recreate a mindful state of being in everyday action. This practice will instantly and in the long term effect your mental and physical wellbeing, affecting your emotional intelligence, … Continue reading Continuous Neigong…

The Language Of The Body…

The way that can be spoken about is not the eternal way….. – Tao Te Ching Entering and understanding the wordless mind is a very important stage in the training of a Martial Artist, it’s the point where the direct, intuitive knowledge of doing and being exist.  It’s one thing to know about something, to understand the meaning of the words and to actually do or be the reality that the words are inadequately trying to express. Your body is your oldest friend and has a wordless language of it’s own – how fluent in that language are you?  Training … Continue reading The Language Of The Body…

It’s A Kind of Magic

A Magi is a wise person, Magic is knowing how something works. Magic fools the ignorant, Because it’s ‘special power’ they don’t understand, But to the wise it’s normal science. Does this make magic less? Should we not be in awe of the ‘ordinary’? Is not every day astounding? The sun rising and setting, The fact that we exist? Earth, water, air and fire are all magical; Every breath we take should inspire us with awe. We know how it works, We know the ‘trick’; We become wise to what’s happening; But we should not become complacent. Science should not … Continue reading It’s A Kind of Magic

What Is Reiki?

I’ve been asked quite a bit about Reiki Healing lately and as its world can be full of money making freaks and quite dangerous people I thought I’d talk briefly about it and how it works and what the dangers can be. Let me begin with the science.  Humans are tribal people and touch, empathy and affection from others is important to us.  When we’re hurt, the first thing we do is to put our hand to the wounded site and maybe rub or massage it.  When a child is hurt, we also do the same and ‘rub it better’, … Continue reading What Is Reiki?